Demolition of O’Shaughnessy Hall starts today

Demolition begins this morning, March 11, on O’Shaughnessy Hall in order to make room for the continued construction of the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex and the eventual construction of the Anderson Student Center.

Crews from Carl Bolander & Sons Co. will begin to demolish the 70-year-old building after 7 a.m. today and expect the job will take about two weeks. Most of the remaining material – limestone and concrete – will be recycled and used at other construction sites.

This morning marks the beginning of the end for O'Shaughnessy Hall, Thursday, March 11. (Photo by Thomas Whisenand.)

Lot H, the university’s parking lot at the corner of Cretin and Summit avenues, will remain open for commuter student parking during demolition and until St. Thomas and Opus, the architect and contractor, obtain construction permits for the new student center. The city will issue permits after the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and the St. Paul Planning Commission approve various plans associated with the project.

Work continues on schedule on the athletic and recreation complex, which will open in August. Opus crews will be able to construct the southwest corner of the complex after O’Shaughnessy Hall has been demolished.

O’Shaughnessy Hall opened in January 1940 and served as St. Thomas’ primary athletics building until 1981, when Schoenecker Arena and Coughlan Field House opened on the site of the old Armory. The arena and field house were demolished last summer to make way for the new Anderson complex.

You can read more about the history of O’Shaughnessy Hall and the recent opening of the building’s time capsule here.